Recipe for Homemade Natural Lip Balms

Something random..... I found this recipe for Home Made Lip Balms from Daily Eco Tips and thought it was a pretty good one. Nice and simple.

Lip balms are probably the most commonly used skincare item. It is a necessity for anyone to protect your lips from environmental factors and to keep lips hydrated. The concern with most commercial lip balms on the market is that they are made from petroleum products which do little to nourish skin and may even be harmful to the body.  Natural lip balms are a breeze to make at home and you get to choose if it has a scent or flavor to it.

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Homemade Natural Lip Balm
(recipe source: Daily Eco Tip)
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Ingredients:
    * 1 tablespoon beeswax pearls (also called pellets or pastilles)
    * 1 tablespoon pure Shea butter
    * 2 tablespoons sweet almond oil
    * 10-15 drops essential oils

Directions:

1. Melt beeswax, Shea butter, and almond oil together in the top of a double boiler or in a heat-safe bowl set over a pot of simmering water; stir continuously with a whisk.
2. Once the ingredients are liquefied, remove them from heat. Whisk in essential oils. Working quickly, transfer the liquid to a measuring cup or a container with a pour spout and then divide it among four 1/2-ounce lip balm tins.
3. Let balms cool completely until solid, about 20 minutes. Store in a cool, dry place.

Variation: Peppermint-Eucalyptus Lip Balm
Use 6 drops of peppermint essential oil and 4 drops of eucalyptus essential oil.

Variation: Vanilla-Rose Lip Balm
Use 10 drops of rose oil, also called rose otto, and 5 drops of vanilla oil, also known as vanilla absolute.

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I must admit that I have not given this particular recipe a road test. If you do try it let me know what you think. As this recipe is not vegan.... I'll be on the look out for a vegan variety (without beeswax).


If you want a lip balm that's good enough to eat, natural & organic, my favs from Bodybar:

• Mukti Macadamia & Honey Lip Balm *star product*
• Madara Regenerating Lip Balm *my personal fav, can't-sleep-without-it-item*

Some commonly found chemicals in skin care

Sulfates/Anionic Surfactants

Sulfates is the colloquial name for a group of cleansing ingredients called alkyl sulfates, which are amongst the most irritating ingredients in personal care products, yet used by almost every manufacturer worldwide.

Ammonium lauryl sulfate is the most strongly irritant, followed by sodium lauryl sulfate. Ammonium lauryl sulfate is commonly used to replace sodium lauryl sulfate, which is the subject of negative publicity and is suspected of causing potential damage to liver, lungs & immune system.

Anionic surfactants can pose serious health threats. They are used in car washes, as garage floor cleaners and engine degreasers - and in 90% of personal-care products that foam. They appear in many forms:

• Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)
• Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES)
• Ammonium Lauryl Sulfate (ALS)
• Ammonium Laureth Sulfate (ALES)
• Sodium Methyl Cocoyl Taurate
• Sodium Lauroyl Sarcosinate
• Sodium Cocoyl Sarcosinate
• Potassium Coco Hydrolysed Collagen
• TEA (Triethanolamine) Lauryl Sulfate
• TEA (Triethanolamine) Laureth Sulfate      
• Lauryl or Cocoyl Sarcosine
• Disodium Oleamide Sulfosuccinate
• Disodium Laureth Sulfosuccinate

Disclaimer: Information are compiled are from various sources. We do not claim ownership of the content.

Travelling with your spray mists

Spray mists, nice things as they are, don't travel too well. Even the best made ones tend to leak thanks to the difference in air pressure pushing the liquid involuntarily out of the nozzle (unless if they are in a glass/aluminium bottle). However, there are a couple of things that you could do if you want to minimize the chance of it doing so:

1. 
   
   Carry it with you on board ie. hand carry luggage. Take it out and spray a few times throughout the journey to relieve the pressure.
2. 
   
   If you are packing it, unscrew the mist spray top. While it is detached from the bottle, spray contents back into the bottle ie. empty the spray top. Once the spray top is empty, screw it back. This makes it harder for the liquid to travel up and through the nozzle.
3. 
   
   Another option is to transfer into a small travel bottle that is glass and screw top. These are less likely to leak during travel. But it would mean that you may have to change to pour-on-hands-and-pat-on-face or using cotton pads for application, rather than spraying on.
4. 
   
   Always pack bottles upright and try not to stack one on top of another. If packed inside a luggage that is not a hard case, try to put them in the middle so that they are cushioned by clothes as luggages are usually stacked one on top of the other thus putting a lot of weight on the inner contents.
   
   Our skin tends to get drier while travelling thanks to the changes in weather as well as dry cabin air on board the aircraft. I seldom travel without this one:
   

   • Mukti Floral Hydrating Mist Toner: A blend of botanical extracts keeps skin hydrated and moist. Comes in a handy size which would be allowed on board the aircraft.

   http://www.bodybarskincare.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=9
    

Kicking off the year with SHIZEN

Coming to Bodybar in Jan '10

A wonderful range of specialised lip care products from Australia will hit our shores in January 2010! SHIZEN is certified organic yet affordable, eco yet chic and loved by all including celebrities... we're sure it'll be a hit locally.

Say bye to dry flaky lips and say hello to plump luscious puckers. Price ranges from RM44.90 to RM69.90. Stay tuned!

http://shizen.com.au/cms/

Goodbye 2009! It's now slightly more than a year since we started our first Bodybar outlet. Looking ahead, we are really excited as we've got lots in store. Looking back, it's quite amazing to realise how far we've come in a short one year. We now have 3 outlets, triple the staff and double the number of brands. We were also featured in virtually every major media throughout the year.


So many things happen in a year and time just whizzes by. Generally it's been a tough economy for most (especially retail!) and probably will be for a while. But with your support, we have been on track and would continue to work hard doing what we do passionately - bring you the best natural & organic skincare from all over the world, all-in-one-shop at affordable prices.

We are truly, truly thankful for your support thus far. Looking forward to an exciting 2010!

~michelle, co-founder of Bodybar~